More thoughts on STEM

1)   What is your background and how did you get involved in STEM?

I have a varied background ranging from being a gymnastics coach, to doing sound and lighting for various theatre companies. I studied History in college and through an alternative certification program landed a job in Elementary Education in DC Public Schools. While I am primarily a language teacher, I have always possessed a natural curiosity about technology and how it could help me. I carried this into my teaching and have become one of DCPS’ School Based Technology Coordinators in addition to my regular teaching responsibly.

The thing about STEM education is that no teacher is in it for the money. We are not worried about profit margins, investors or the next big thing. We are meeting the individual needs of the 30+ human beings who sit in front of us every day. The teachers that are using technology, and using it well, are those who have invested their own time, talents, and often money into learning new things. They know that learning is so important that they are willing to lead by example, showing students and the world that learning new things is essential. In turn, their students see learning as essential. They see technology as a tool. Many students that I work with do not have a computer at home. Their parents do not own smartphones. Many of their parents can not read, in any language. So it is imperative that they see technology as something that can help them bridge a gap between them and their peers, not as another hurdle. I think that the staff and students that I worked with this year utilized technology in a way that was not intimidating to students or families and saw measurable growth in academic performance.

2)   Please describe your day to day responsibilities.

This past school year I fulfilled several responsibilities at Thomson Elementary in DCPS. First and foremost I served as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher to 37, preschool through 5^th grade, students. I also taught several sections of reading interventions. This was targeted instruction for students identified as struggling readers. I also served as the building leader for Dibles and TRC testing, which are our benchmark reading assessments. And lastly, I was the building’s Technology Coordinator, which involved the purchase and maintenance of the buildings technology. I also trained employees on proper use of technology, acted as in-house tech support and was the chief liaison with the districts various technology offices. In this position I also developed a multi-year replacement plan and updated an outdated and inaccurate inventory. I implemented various pilot programs with technology including MP3 players, Apple TVs, iPads and netbooks in the classrooms. Some of these will be implemented building wide next year.

3)   Can you tell us something about "Listening for Literacy"?

The necessity of a project like this has been evident since the time I started at my current school. I teach at an urban public school in one of the country’s most challenging districts. We proudly boast a very diverse population including around 60+% ESL students. I worked closely with two other teachers to develop this project. The idea was fairly simple, how can we provide language support to our students outside of the school day?  We decided to try giving them MP3 players to take home containing differentiated language content specific for each student.

After pooling our remaining balances on Office Depot cards, distributed by the district for school supplies, and pitching in a little cash of our own, we purchased 32 small, 2gb MP3 players. They are nothing fancy, no screen, but they are the perfect vehicle to launch this program. They are easy to use, only a few buttons. All the buttons are pictorial and do not require English literacy to operate. Best of all, they were only $10. Along with printing and copying resources at school we felt that we were ready to see if this crazy idea would work.

The idea of MP3 players evolved from the practices of a few teachers. I personally had sent home CDs with material on them. One year I sent home the audio of Alice in Wonderland, one chapter at a time. Last year, with kindergarten students, I sent home CDs containing phonics songs and letter sounds. Another participating teacher, used a tape recorder to record herself reading books. The other participating teacher used a MP3 player with an individual student to help bridge summertime learning. The idea of using MP3 players in not new, and there are a lot of companies that are using them successfully. Our question was, can a program be implemented at a low cost, using individualized materials? The pre-packaged programs that were researched are applicable to usually to a narrow range of students who were reading at or about grade level, most of our students were significantly below grade level. We actually have one of these programs in our first grade classrooms. The other difference is that most of these programs require expensive equipment and are meant to be used in the classroom. We specifically wanted something that went home with the students each day. As far as we can find, we are the first group to put together a larger scale program that is concentrated on sending home audio material that does not require internet. While there are great things online for students, most of our families do not have a computer or internet at home.

The other difference between this and other ideas, was the strong parent connection. We held parent meetings and let the parents go through the content before giving it to the students. They gave feedback through surveys and parent reading logs. All of the parent surveys indicated that they would like for their students to continue in this program next year. Many of our parents are learning English in an afterschool English class. We have learned that they are using the MP3 players as well as the students, and in one case, the family purchased speakers and listens as a family! These are the positive unintended consequences that we did not even imagine.

Academically, we have seen significant measurable growth among the students who participated. Their middle of the year reading scores averaged a full point higher than the average growth of the students who did not participate. Teachers have even noted that they participate more regularly in class, and there are a few students who, in one year, grew from far below grade level, to grade level proficient. While certainly all of this growth cannot be attributed simply to MP3 players, we do think that in addition to the language and reading objectives that we set out achieve, it allowed our students to develop a love of reading that had yet to be kindled within them.

Technology helped us to achieve these goals that are not necessarily directly related to any STEM subject. It showed students that technology can be a tool that helps them. It showed teachers that individualized education is possible, and at a manageable cost. I hope that the lesson learned for the educational community is that with creativity, technology can be a catalyst to solving problems.

Next year Listening for Literacy will continue with hopes of expansion. With a small grant from Donors Choose, I was able to purchase an additional 10 MP3 players, and all the headphones and accessories. Out hope next year is to start incorporating video flashcards, and expand to a greater number of students.

3)   The U.S. is not turning out the engineering students that we need to in order to compete as an innovative country.  Why is this issue so important?

As America pulls away from a manufacturing society, we have become the innovators. I firmly believe that America will be the place to create the “next big thing,” and then whatever overtakes that. It is our ingenuity that has always set us apart in the world, and our creativity and hard work that has allowed us to begin to solve problems, that do not even exist yet. It is not necessarily formal engineering that will be lacking in the coming years, but the engineering mindset, of being able to take things apart and figure them out, and change them or improve them. It is the ability to improve on existing designs, and take ideas and make them reality, that will be truly important in the next generation. These very notions of problem solving and creating solutions, start with our three-year-olds. I think that if the country wants to see more college educated engineers, it needs to insist on more education for three-year-olds. It needs to demand more technology and math education in the youngest of its students. For the spark that will grow into a full flame of dedication to engineering, starts earlier than college.

5)   What’s the best STEM success case study/project that you have been personally involved in?

This year I was able to see a dream fulfilled with our Listening for Literacy project. I was thrilled to see the results at the end of the year! We took 30 students and a few hundred dollars and actually made a measurable difference. I think so often people assume that to create change involves large amounts of money, committees, and years to complete. Yet here at a school, that has quite a bit stacked against it, a few people with commitment and ingenuity are making change happen every day.

6)   What’s the biggest misconception about STEM?

I think there are a few large conceptions when it comes to STEM education. The first is that STEM initiatives should not begin until middle school. Most programs and initiatives that exist, particularly those targeted at girls or minority students, do not begin until middle school. While all of these programs have merit and can be effective, I think exposure at an earlier age may be more effective. I have found that it is assumed that students all have the same elementary experiences. Nothing could be further from the truth. While hard for some to believe, the first and only time some students see things like iPads, laptops or even use the internet, are in school. They are not witnessing these things at home. It is not until they are in school that they are able to explore what technology really is, and how it can change their lives. By the time they reach middle school they have not had enough exposure to develop a love for STEM subjects.  

The second misconception that I see is that science, technology, engineering and math, are only taught in classes that contain one of those titles. To truly energize students about technical thinking, it should be a part of everything in a well-rounded curriculum. Particularly technology, should not be taught in isolation. Students need to experience technology as a tool, not as a subject. A computer can help them learn, and is not something that they have to study. Once that love of technology is developed, I think it will be almost impossible to stop it.

7)   Who you admire in terms of STEM education?

I admire my mother. She is an engineer who went to MIT, as a woman with two little kids. She would share stories of being the only woman in a class, or studying with a baby in tow. She has been successful in her field by anyone’s measurement and it is because of her that I never saw being a girl as a barrier to any career.

8)   What’s the future of STEM?  The future of STEM is limited only by the future of technology. As long as teachers continue to be lifelong learners, and companies continue to see investments in education as essential to their success, STEM has endless possibilities. As an older generation of educators begin to retire, the majority of the teaching force will be those who have grown up with computers, cell phones and the internet.

How can other like-minded people get involved?

I think that there are some really great organizations and projects that are proving successful. When looking at programs I think there are a few signs as to whether the program will be effective. First, the program needs to work with teachers. It is my personal experience that programs that are brought in for a day, and then leave, or are prescribed to teachers are not as successful. They do not have the buy in of the teachers or students. However, programs that offer meaningful, ongoing experiences for students and teachers can have long-term success. Initiatives also have to be relateable to students. For example, there was a program that came into classrooms for a day and wanted to talk about math in banking. I thought this was a worthy topic. The material was not relatable for urban students. They spoke of holding lemonade stands, when most of our students live in high rise buildings, and they used examples that involved sheds, yards, mowing lawns, and raking leaves. These are all things that my students have no experiences with. The students did not connect with the content and were not excited about banking, at least not in the way that was intended. While companies have admirable goals, they need to put more effort into relating to students where they are. Students all have different experiences and good teachers capitalize on those experiences, instead of ignoring or discounting them. Corporations who wish to help schools should do the same.

I would also recommend sites such as Donors Choose. Teachers post projects for which they need funding. At the end of the day, teachers know what they need for their students better than anyone. I think if people really take the time to support the teachers and their creative and often genius ideas, real change will start to happen. Sites and organizations like Donors Choose aim to give teachers what they need. I think it is a really great way to support new ideas.